


A Circle Of Healing

by Doomkitty25



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Magician War, Timeline X
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-03 01:58:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19453999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doomkitty25/pseuds/Doomkitty25
Summary: A timeline where Quentin and Julia are recruited by Eliot into a faction of magicians that are currently at war over the source of magic.





	A Circle Of Healing

Quentin put his head down on his desk and squeezed the little palm size squishy bear his dad had given him that morning before he walked out of the house. First period was the only class he didn’t share with Julia, and he was already kind of freaking out. The teacher called roll and Quentin managed to say here when he got to his name, but fuck it was a struggle. Almost his entire summer had been spent at the clinic, and being back in the real world was pushing his limits. Dad had said if he needed to, if it got to be too much, he would come get him, but Quentin was going to do his level best to push through the day. Julia said Senior year was going to be their year, and Quentin hoped like hell she was right because he needed something good.

History first thing in the morning was never going to hold Quentin’s attention, so he was more than a little intrigued by the door opening and a tall dark haired stranger stepping into the classroom. 24 other kids turned to stare at the intruder. 

“Excuse me, is this Mr. Carlton’s class?” Asked the stranger with a wry sort of bored inquiry. Almost as if he didn’t care one way or the other if it actually was Mr. Carlton’s class.

Quentin felt his mouth go dry, and he ran a hand through his long hair. The man was unfairly beautiful. Tall, confident, with an air of command that made Quentin sit up a little straighter in his chair. He easily captured the interest of everyone in the class. Who was this guy?

“Yes it is. How can I help you?” Mr. Carlton squinted up at him from his seat at his desk, and Quentin couldn’t help but notice the contrast between the two men. Mr. Carlton wore a simple beige polo shirt with simple beige slacks, a brown tie, and glasses. Anymore boring and he would have blended in with the desk. The stranger on the other hand, was so sharply dressed he didn’t even have to try to stand out. Quentin had never seen anyone like him.

“I need to collect Quentin Coldwater.” His deep voice and his well everything was so distracting that it took Quentin a minute to grasp that the man had said his name. The class, excited by this new development, had already begun to whisper to one another as Quentin sat there frozen. Attention was anathema to him, and everyone was staring. Sweat began to bead on the back of his neck, and he could feel his face beginning to burn. 

“I’m afraid I can’t just let you take one of my students. You need to go to the office.” His teacher was insisting.

The man just smirked and pulled a piece of paper out of his inner jacket pocket with two fingers and dropped it on Mr. Carlton’s desk. “Everything is here already. Now really, we’re going to be late.” He turned away from the teacher and his eyes zeroed in on Quentin sitting in the back of the classroom. Apparently the man knew what he looked like because he didn’t even hesitate when he motioned for Quentin to come forward.

Wanting to slide under the table, and hide from all of the stares from his classmates, Quentin took a breath. The quicker he got out of this room, the quicker he could get away from everyone’s stares. Walking by the lined up desks to get to the front, he couldn’t help but overhear “How the fuck does Quentin know a guy that hot?, Where did they meet? He’s not that much older than us, is he in College? Why is a college boy pulling Quentin out of class?” And on and on it went. He made it to the front of the room without tripping, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Follow me.” The man said softly, and Quentin didn’t even hesitate. Following behind the tall stranger like a little duckling.

Once out in the hall, Quentin felt his anxiety diminish to some degree. “Um...so...um who are you?”

“All in good time little Q. Just follow me and don’t ask questions.” Tall dark and leggy said amused.

“But I have no idea who you are. And um I can’t just....follow you…” Quentin was confused but he didn’t stop following the older boy contradicting the words coming out of his mouth.

“Quentin I assure you that all of your questions will be answered, but I have a mental block about high schools, and I need to get the fuck out of this one before I snap.” Following this sharp dressed stranger was stupid. But he was too fucking intrigued to stop. Sighing in defeat, he pulled out his phone and sent a text to Julia. If he wound up dead in an alley, at least someone would know to look for him.

**

Quentin followed quietly for a moment, but he could tell they were headed out of the school. “Can I at least get a name?”

“No.” The man said succinctly.

“Oh my god. Really.” Quentin could feel his frustration getting the better of him, but before he could yell at the long legged stranger, he almost ran right into him when he stopped. 

“Take a deep breath Q.” the man said, and Quentin squinted at him. About to ask why, but the man didn’t give him a chance. Grabbed his shirt and jerked him through the door. Quentin stumbled and let out a little squeak. They were **not** on the front steps of his high school. That door definitely led to the front of his high school, but he was standing in some sort of office. A huge wooden desk took up the majority of the room, and the walls were overloaded with books.

“Oh my god.” He just kept repeating it over and over. Then he swung around to push the door open and step back into his school, but outside the door was a hallway. A hallway he’d never fucking seen before.

“Quentin, Jesus, get back in here.” Long fingers curled in his hoodie and jerked him back in the room. “Sit down, the Elder will be here in like five minutes.”

Quentin looked around again, then curled in on himself fumbling for his phone. He had to call Julia, there was no fucking telling where he actually was. Probably curled up under a table somewhere. “I’m hallucinating. I just need to tell her I’m hallucinating. She can probably find me.” His hands were slick with sweat, but he managed to get his phone unlocked. The stranger snatched it out of his hands before he could open a text to Julia.

“You’re not hallucinating.” He looked up at the man, and was somewhat calmed by the concerned look on his face, but at the same time he had only been out of the damn clinic for a few weeks and this was pushing every stressor he had. Quentin’s breaths became short, he was trying to regulate them, but he didn’t know what the fuck was going on.

“Oh for fucks sake.” He heard the man whisper. He dropped to his knees before Quentin and took his hands. “You are not hallucinating. I am literally under a gag charm right now so I can’t actually tell you anything. In less than 3 minutes, the Elder will come through that door, and he will explain everything okay. Just hang on.”

Quentin took a deep calming breath and clung to the man’s hands. Closing his eyes he tried to focus on anything but what had just happened. A warm peachy citrus scent was clinging to the dark haired man, and Quentin let himself be distracted by how good he smelled and how nice their hands felt clasped together. So thoroughly distracting himself, meant he nearly jumped out of the chair when the man they were waiting on finally slammed through the door.

“Ah Mr. Coldwater, I am very excited to have you join us. I’m Henry and my associate that escorted you here is Eliot.” The man was in a sharp suit, and held out his hand for Quentin to shake. Quentin didn’t want to be rude, but he also didn’t want to let go of Eliot’s hands. Eliot, however, didn’t feel the same and shook his hands lose from Quentin’s. 

Eliot stood up and snapped at the Elder, “Remove the fucking gag charm. He nearly had a panic attack because you wouldn’t even let me tell him my fucking name.”

“You know as well as I do precautions need to be taken Eliot.” the man waved his hands, and Quentin felt a pop in the air. “Now Quentin, I need you to do something for me.”

Quentin felt his skin tightening with the direct attention from the Elder, and he started to shake a little. “Um, I don’t understand.” At this point controlling his shaking voice was the last thing on Quentin’s mind.

“Mr. Coldwater, you are a Magician.”

“I mean I can do card tricks.” Quentin said now beyond completely confused and back to thinking he was hallucinating.

“No you can perform actual magic. Before we can begin your training you actually have to show us.” Henry’s voice was pure monotone, and Quentin turned to look at Eliot. Pleading with his eyes for the other man to help him. Eliot was standing by the window looking out, and not paying attention though.

“I don’t know what you want me to do.” Quentin said desperately. 

Henry bent over and got in Quentin’s face. Quentin could feel his breath on his face. “I want you to perform some fucking magic.” The man shouted in his face.

Quentin jerked back in the chair and felt the panic swamp over him again. “Please, I don’t know.”

“Henry back the fuck off, you’re scaring the hell out of him.” Eliot said harshly as he stomped over to the pair.

Henry raised his brow at Eliot, but Quentin felt a huge rush of relief. Eliot pushed Henry out of the way, and crouched back down in front of him. “Quentin, you’re a magician. You have the ability to do magic. We found you with a tracer spell, and we’re offering you the opportunity to learn. Are you interested?”

Quentin gaped and shook his head. “This isn’t real. Magic isn’t real.”

Eliot tilted his head to the side and smiled the most beatific smile Quentin had ever seen. He cupped his hands before Quentin, performed a movement that twisted his fingers in movements Quentin couldn’t follow. When he was done twinkling lights floated up from his open palms, butterflies made of light, flower petals floated around Quentin’s own hands. He could feel his eyes go impossibly round as he stared. 

“Oh my god.” He whispered in reverence. 

“You can do this. We can teach you.” Eliot whispered just as respectfully.

Quentin could feel the darkness at the edge of his vision start to take hold. Pushing off at least two panic attacks and holding back the stress from his first day back at school as well as the stress from whatever the fuck was happening now, was taking its toll on him. He was dropping. A loud crashing bang pushed him forward out of the chair and practically into Eliot’s lap. The room shook and both magicians looked at each other in alarm.

Henry rushed to the door to the office. “We’ve been found. Get him back to the school. Make sure you’re not followed.”

Eliot pulled Quentin out of the chair and went to a door behind the desk, he opened it up and pulled Quentin through. They were back in his school in the hallway. “What was that?” Quentin asked.

“Magic is dangerous of course, and right now we’re in the middle of a war. That would have been Henry’s next pitch. You can do magic. Magic is amazing. Magic can kill you blah blah blah.” Eliot shrugged.

“So what happens how?” Quentin looked up at Eliot.

“Well I go back to the safehouse and help Henry fight whatever the fuck breached our wards, and you get a day to think about what you want to do. Learn magic or be a muggle.” Eliot said with a shrug, turning back to the doorway.

“That’s it. You’re just going to leave.” Quentin said desperately.

“Well yeah.”

“How will I know this even happened. That I didn’t just make it up?”

Eliot stared at him for a minute, then slipped one of his rings off of his finger. “Take this, I’ll be back for it.” With that Eliot turned quickly and went back through the door. Quentin couldn’t help opening it back up and peering through it. This time it was a utility closet. Walking back to class he examined the ring in his hand. It was silver with a small white opal on it. Very pretty and not something he would have guessed was a man’s ring. Didn’t stop him from slipping it on his finger and clenching his fist around it for assurance that what happened had been real.

**

Julia rushed up to him in the hallway after the bell for the next class rang. “Quentin oh my god what happened? Everyone, and I do mean everyone, is talking about you.”

Quentin hugged her like his life depended on it and felt his anxiety flare up again. If he told her she would think he was crazy, but at the same time if he didn’t tell her she would freak out and tell his dad. He didn’t want to lie, so he tried to collect his thoughts. Julia watched him patiently. 

“I got an offer from an organization. I’m not sure what it’s all about yet, we got interrupted, so I’m going back tomorrow to find out more.” There that was true, and still hedging so the details weren’t specific.

Julia frowned. “What about the hot guy?”

Quentin blushed and then wanted to die from embarrassment when Julia got a cat like grin on her face. “Oh he really was hot then, your face is so fucking red.”

Quentin brought his hands up to cover his face, he could feel the heat on his palms from how hard he was blushing.

“Where’d you get that?” Julia pulled his hand down to look at the ring.

Quentin snatched his hand back.”It’s nothing.” he said with his head down.

Julia hummed, “Well whatever. Let’s get to class.”

**

Quentin had been on the edge of his seat all day. He’d barely slept the night before and he was exhausted trying to field all of Julia’s questions, the majority of which he couldn’t answer. She wouldn’t stop looking at him funny when they’d finally got home after school, and he knew she was suspicious as hell. Now it was almost lunch time the next day and there was still no word from Eliot. He was beginning to worry. The bell rang for lunch and Quentin exited the classroom doing his best to dodge all of the girls that had been dogging his heels since yesterday afternoon. 

Lunch yesterday had been the worst kind of hell. Apparently one of the girls in his class had taken a picture of Eliot, and now he was all over Instagram. Every girl in his school wanted his number, his dating history, and his shoe size. It was horrific, compounded by the fact that Julia wouldn’t help, she just sat back and laughed at him as he tried to fend off the frenzied pack.

Quentin found Julia at their regular table, and hoped his lack of information yesterday would diminish the amount of pestering they had to deal with today. Quentin let out an irritated sigh when Julia started to snicker at him. Turning around slightly he saw the first of the girls start their approach. “Fuck.” He grumbled under his breath. Then Julia gasped, so he quickly turned to see what had surprised her. 

Eliot was standing in the door to the lunch room with a look of utter disgust on his face. His gaze once again snapped to Quentin like he knew exactly where he was. Was it magic? Quentin couldn’t help but wonder. Eliot made his way over. “Quentin, darling. You didn’t call.” Eliot said as he sat down next to Quentin at the table.

Quentin looked at him bewildered. “You didn’t tell me to call?” The tables around them got really quiet, and Quentin was back to wanting to blend in with the decor. They were clearly trying to overhear every word Eliot said. They didn’t go to a super small town High School, but it was small enough that he could probably name off everyone in his grade if the occasion called for it. Like Emily sitting at a table across from them was practically falling off of her chair to get closer to Eliot, and Quentin hadn’t said two words to her since 6th grade.

“Hmmm...ring please?” He held out his hand. Quentin removed the ring and placed it in Eliot’s palm, rolling his eyes at the eruption of whispers. “Excellent. You must be Julia.” He switched subject faster than Quentin could follow.

“How do you know I must?” Julia asked suspiciously.

“It’s come to our attention that you might be a matched set.” Eliot said loftily, flicked his eyes to the side and then rolled them hard. He knew then, that his presence was causing an uproar. Quentin could feel his nerves sort of settle after that. Eliot knew, and he unwittingly trusted the man not to do anything that would hurt Quentin.

“Julia is my best friend.” Quentin pointed out probably unnecessary, but he still felt the need to say it, not wanting Eliot to get the wrong idea. Then feeling like an idiot because there was no way that Eliot even cared. He’d have to be interested to care, and Quentin would be the last person someone like Eliot would be interested in.

“I know and you were a very good boy not telling her what happened yesterday. Not that it was a test, but I am very proud of you.” Eliot said with silken smoothness, and Quentin couldn’t help leaning just slightly towards him wanting to soak up as much of his presence as he could.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Julia demanded, leaning over the table so she could get closer to the boys.

Eliot shrugged. “This is hardly the place. There also may be a slight chance I’m being followed. For a chance to know would you skip class Ms Wicker?” She nodded vigorously. Eliot bowed his head. “Then both of you come with me.”

**

Quentin gaped in transparent awe. Eliot had given Julia a spell, and not five minutes later she was creating the dancing light butterflies that Eliot had shown him the day before. They’d wound up at a warehouse by the docks that Eliot had called a safe house. Julia hadn’t questioned Eliot all that hard when he told her that magic was real, she’d just wanted more information. Quentin was happy to watch the two of them, but he couldn’t help feel anxious because he hadn’t actually performed a spell yet. Henry had said he wouldn’t be allowed to join them if he couldn’t do something. Eliot wasn’t pushing him, but Quentin wanted to prove himself.

“Okay so why come find us. I get that we need to be taught, but like why is it happening this way?” Julia questioned Eliot.

“You mean why no “you’re a wizard harry” letter? We’re at war. Magic comes from a source, and control of the source is our never ending battle. Unfortunately there are a lot of factions and each one wants something different for different reasons. The Library thinks humans can’t regulate themselves, so they need to control who can an cannot use magic; the hedge witches want a free for all type approach; the covens, the group I’m with, see it more as a moderate approach. We need to police because fucking magic, but we also need to make sure we teach those that possess it.” Eliot paced as he spoke. “You are obviously free to choose, but if you don’t pick a side one or the other of them will kill you.”

Quentin tried to absorb the knowledge and he watched Julia do the same. “So how did you find us?”

Eliot stopped pacing. “Henry Fogg is an elder in the covens. Each magician has a discipline. His is knowledge of composition, and he created a spell that finds magicians.”

Julia gaped at him wide eyed. “You can just create a spell to do whatever you want?”

Eliot shrugged. “Sure if that’s your discipline. It’s all rather complex, Henry’s better at the knowing stuff side of things.”

Quentin smiled at Eliot trying to brush Julia off. “What about you? What’s your discipline?”

Eliot grinned, wicked and confident, “Telekinesis.”

“So you’re like on the front lines of the war?” Quentin asked, unnerved by how desperate he as for knowledge about Eliot, and how little he actually cared about the rest of it.

“I’m particularly good at shields. I mean I can throw stuff as well as any telekinetic, but my discipline isn’t that rare. The shielding part is pretty unique to me. Henry keeps me near the students for the most part. So to answer your question, yes and no.” Eliot didn’t take his eyes off of Quentin, and Quentin couldn’t look away. How the fuck did someone just be that gorgeous. He had just been existing in this world, and Quentin had no idea, it was unfuckingfair. Eliot was something he could stare at for eternity.

“So how do we figure out our disciplines?” Julia asked, interrupting their eye flirting. 

Eliot let his attention drift back to Julia. Slowly. “Hmm. Years of study usually. But Henry has some special potion or whatever that you’ll drink. It helps call to your talents.”

“Speaking of, I apparently have none.” Quentin said with a pout.

Eliot dropped down in front of him once again. “Little Q, I guarantee you that you have talent. I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. You just need to draw it out.” Quentin was charmed. The man was charming. Quentin flushed all over at Eliot calling him little Q. Jesus he was hopeless.

Trying to distract himself from Eliot’s everything, he whined “but how. Nothing I’ve tried has worked. I’m just useless.” 

Eliot frowned. “Most magicians will tell you that magic comes from pain.” Eliot started.

Quentin put his fingers on Eliot’s cheek. He’s not even sure he’s allowed, but something in him tells him to touch Eliot. Denying himself seems foolish, so he doesn’t question the need. “But not you?” 

Eliot cups Quentin’s hand in his own and squeezes his fingers. “No, not even close. Magic doesn’t come from pain, it comes from hope. A hope that even the most jaded of us feel, that we can use what we have to make things better. So make things better Quentin.”

Quentin stared into Eliot’s eyes and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was magic in the man in front of him. Magic existed. He was a part of it. The most incredible thing in the world, and he had the ability to hold it in his hands. 

He could find hope, he just had to dig for it a little bit. It didn’t matter how unpopular he was at school, he had a best friend and that was a little bit magic. It didn’t matter that his mother left him and his father, he still had his father and that was a little bit magic. And for some reason this gorgeous tall drink of water sitting on the ground in front of him was giving him the time of day. There had to be magic in that. Quentin thought of every mountain he’d ever climbed. Voluntarily telling his father he was sick, asking for help, none of that shit had been easy. Remembering how scared he’d been, but hoping against hope that what was wrong with him was fixable. He clung to that feeling.

His hands burst, electric shocks building under his skin, even as a tear fell down his cheek, magic exploded from his fingers in a bright cascading eruption. A universe of stars surrounded Eliot and like a scene from a storybook centaurs pranced around his head made of magic light, fairies fluttered their wings, and a pirate ship floated across the moon. Quentin had pulled an image of Neverland from his mind and recreated it with magic. He could see the awe on Eliot's face, and he felt a blush burn his cheeks. 

“There, see. I told you.” Eliot said with a wide grin. Julia was clapping in the background, and it took every ounce of control Quentin possessed at 18 not to throw himself at Eliot.

“Now let’s get you both to Henry so he can do his magic potion crap, and we can get you both prepared for war.” Eliot stood up, grabbed Quentin’s hand and Julia’s arm, and walked them through the door of the warehouse into a whole new world.


End file.
